ood circulating
library, I was seldom without a book in my hand. By this time I had been
nearly two years and a half with Mr Cophagus, when an adventure occurred
which I must attempt to describe with all the dignity with which it
ought to be invested.

This is a world of ambition, competition, and rivalry. Nation rivals
nation, and flies to arms, cutting the throats of a few thousands on
each side till one finds that it has the worst of it. Man rivals man,
and hence detraction, duels, and individual death. Woman rivals woman,
and hence loss of reputation and position in high, and loss of hair, and
fighting with pattens in low, life. Are we then to be surprised that
this universal passion, undeterred by the smell of drugs and poisonous
compounds, should enter into apothecaries' shops? But two streets--two
very short streets from our own--was situated the single-fronted shop of
Mr Ebenezer Pleggit. Thank heaven, it was only single-fronted; there, at
least, we had the ascendancy over them. Upon other points, our
advantages were more equally balanced. Mr Pleggit had two large coloured
bottles in his windows more than we had; but then we had two horses, and
he had only one. He tied over the corks of his bottles with red-coloured
paper; we covered up the lips of our vials with delicate blue. It
certainly was the case--for though an enemy, I'll do him justice--that,
after Mr Brookes had left us, Mr Pleggit had two shopmen, and Mr
Cophagus only one; but then that one was Mr Japhet Newland; besides, one
of his assistants had only one eye, and the other squinted horribly, so
if we measured by eyes, I think the advantage was actually on our side;
and, as far as ornament went, most decidedly; for who would not prefer
putting on his chimney-piece one handsome, elegant vase, than two
damaged, ill-looking pieces of crockery? Mr Pleggit had certainly a
gilt mortar and pestle over his door, which Mr Cophagus had omitted when
he furnished his shop; but then the mortar had a great crack down the
middle, and the pestle had lost its knob. And let me ask those who have
been accustomed to handle it, what is a pestle without a knob? On the
whole, I think, with the advantage of having two fronts, like Janus, we
certainly had the best of the comparison; but I shall leave the
impartial to decide.

All I can say is, that the feuds of the rival houses were most
bitter--the hate intense--the mutual scorn unmeasurable. Did Mr Ebenezer
Pleggit meet